Secure integrated circuits, commonly referred to as smart cards, can be of the form of an embedded integrated circuit hardware device roughly the size of a credit card, or smaller, and can be used in many applications. For example, smart cards can be used in ticketing applications in mass transit systems, access control applications, parking/toll applications, electronic wallet applications, identification authentication applications, and other applications in which information of some type must be securely stored.
In some implementations, a small form factor smart card is used in a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone or cell phone handset) to identify a user of the mobile device, a preferred wireless network to which the device is configured to connect, a wireless service account associated with the device or with the user, mobile device preferences or other information. For example, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) handsets generally employ smart cards commonly referred to as SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards; UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and other 3G (third generation) handsets generally employ USIM cards (Universal Subscriber Identity Module); and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) phones can employ RUIM (Removable User Identity Module) cards. With a SIM, USIM or RUIM card, a user can, in some implementations, transfer his or her wireless account and mobile device settings and preferences from one handset to another.